Admiral Vance reached into his heavy overcoat and pulled out a ruggedized, matte-black military tablet. He tapped the glass screen, turning the bright display toward Briggs.
Admiral Vance: Take a good look at this screen, Briggs.
A crisp underwater reconnaissance feed played in high definition. Murky green water illuminated by high-intensity dive lights showed the massive steel keel of the aircraft carrier USS Defiance. Clamped directly to the rudder assembly was a sleek, magnetic explosive housing pulsing with a steady red diode.
Commander Briggs: That... that could have been placed by anyone! Foreign operatives, terrorists...
Admiral Vance: Is that so? Then explain why the remote trigger mechanism was paired directly with the secure router in your private quarters!
Commander Briggs: ADMIRAL, PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN!
Maya slowly pulled herself up to a standing position, using the edge of a steel command desk for support. Her voice was firm now, stripped of all terror.
Maya: The sensor blackout was not maintenance, Briggs. You created a forty-minute dead zone so a civilian supply boat could dock against the aft section without being pinged.
Commander Briggs: You don't know what you're talking about! You fabricated those sensor readings!
Maya: The encrypted packets originated from your terminal. I did not steal those logs to sell them. I downloaded them to send a hard-copy alert directly to the Admiral's flagship.
Commander Briggs: Admiral, she is setting me up! Look at her! She was passed over for promotion twice! She harbors deep resentment toward the entire command staff!
Admiral Vance: Shut up, Briggs. You are digging a hole you will never climb out of.
Commander Briggs: Sir, you know my family! My father served thirty years! I have a trust fund, an inheritance—why would I ever do this?
Admiral Vance: Because your debts caught up with you. Federal investigators have been tracking your private offshore bank accounts for six months. You were promised ten million dollars to cripple our carrier group during morning departures.
Briggs backed away toward the locked exit doors, his breathing shallow and ragged.
Commander Briggs: You can't prove any of that! It will never hold up in court! My lawyers will tear this whole circumstantial case apart!
Admiral Vance: We don't need circumstantial evidence. The explosive device has your electronic signature embedded in the detonation clock.
Maya looked down at the tablet screen as the dive team successfully clamped a neutralizer over the bomb's detonator pins. A wave of immense relief washed through her chest.
Maya: The Defiance is secure, Admiral?
Admiral Vance: The carrier is safe, Lieutenant. The entire strike group is secure, thanks to you.
Briggs bolted toward the door latch, his face twisted in desperate madness.
Leave a Comment